PeteSig wrote:
> "Theo Bekkers" wrote:
>> No way is that true of Perth Pete. Unless you're following the river
>> or the coast, Perth is mountainous compared to Amsterdam.
>>
>> Fairly flat where my son lives in Cranbourne Vic.
>
> None of which changes the fact that there is a whole lot more to the
> strategies the Dutch have used to encourage a booming use of bikes for
> transport.
>
> Ahah! Here is the document from some Dutch planners that I was
> referring to.
> http://www.cycle-helmets.com/irresistible.pdf
>
> Look in particular at the last two pages for a detailed summary of
> changes made to Dutch society that have boosted cycling.
Hi Pete. Sorry to be a bit late in responding, it's been hectic at work this
week and here I am waiting for a tiler at work on a Saturday morning when I
should be at home. First chance I've had to read the doco you pointed me to.
I particularly like the woonerf,
The most advanced form of traffic calming—the “woonerf” or “home
zone”—imposes
even more restrictions, requiring cars to travel at walking speed.
Pedestrians, cyclists, and
playing children have as much right to use such residential streets as motor
vehicles; indeed,
motor vehicles are required to yield to non-motorized users.
A wonderful idea. I've always said that streets belong to the people, not to
the cars.
We are starting to see some of this following stuff locally
• Special bike lanes leading up to the intersection, with advance stop lines
for cyclists, far
ahead of waiting cars
• Advance green traffic signals for cyclists, and extra green signal phases
for cyclists at
intersections with heavy cycling volumes
But, unfortunately, as usual, with no accompanying education, so motorists
have no idea what it is all about. They just see cyclists pulling ahead of
them at lights and get aggro.
I see Perth fares well in the number of trips area, being on a par with
Canberra. You'd think Adelaide would be better but their roads are woeful,
both in condition and layout. Sydney is strangled by a combination of narrow
roads and high traffic volume.
Part of our problem is the average distance to facilities, with everything
you need to buy concentrated into large shopping centres, often built in
industrial zones. No many people live within 2 kms of a shopping centre, and
then you have to carry that damn helmet everywhere with you. You also see
see more 'elite' cyclists in Oz, in their flash tights and impossible to
walk in shoes. It is not only difficult to go shopping in such a get-up, it
is also embarrasing. We have few adults who cycle on utility bikes wearing
'normal' clothing here, where that is the norm in Holland. In 95% of cases
in Holland, you can't tell by looking at the person next to you at the
supermarket check-out, if they came by bike. This also allows people to
marginalise cyclists as being 'different to me' rather than 'same as my
mum'.
The point that I'm trying to make by being contrary in some of my posts is
that we need to work to work together to improve facilities for all
travellers. I truly don't believe that attitudes of
Motorists need to give up facilities to improve our lot because they're
killing the planet...
Rules don't apply to us because we're saving the planet...
Tax all motorists off the road....
are going to allow us to go very far.
I think we need to get representation of non-elite cyclists, every-day
people who want to go down to the shops, without being harrassed by
motorists and sneered at by the lycra crowd. It is these people that need to
be catered to. Because they are being ignored by all parties, nothing is
going to change very quickly.
Cheers and thanks for that article.
Theo
